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détonateur

detonator

noun deh-toh-nah-TEHR Rare
Descriptions & Qualities

Origin: Latin detonare (to thunder down)

Also means

trigger, catalyst

Usage Note

Détonateur refers literally to the device that triggers an explosion, but it is widely used figuratively to mean the catalyst or trigger of a larger event, as in le détonateur de la crise ('the trigger of the crisis'). The related verb détoner means to detonate, while détonner (double n) means to be out of tune or out of place — a distinction worth noting.

Examples

"Le conflit a servi de détonateur à la révolution."

Natural Translation

The conflict served as a detonator for the revolution.

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